I can't take it anymore...

I have wanted to talk about several things regarding the preseason now, but have been reluctant so as not to give anything away before the draft. Now that Taylor's gone especially, it's just too much. Here are a few things that get me excited about this season. I'd love to hear other opinions as well, keeping in mind that they are just opinions and I will try not to glean too much from them regarding your draft mindset.

First of all, as I told Steve last night, I am excited about Frank Gore's upcoming season. I would be even more excited if he was on my team. At the end of the season, assuming Steve keeps Gore and MoJo and no injuries occur, our man just might have 2 top-five RB's on his team. I think San Francisco in general will turn some heads this year, likely even competing for their division title against the former NFC Champs. I like their defense. I appreciate that Gore has his old buddy back blocking for him at fullback. And I like that they will likely lean heavily on the running game with their new OC, especially considering that their passing game is more or less shit, with or without Crabtree (who, by the way, is a moron). If you don't know the Crabtree story, he is likely sitting out this year to be redrafted in 2010 because he (and his cousin who is his agent??) thinks that he should be paid as much as Heyward-Bey since he should have been drafted before him. Insanity.

Secondly, Green Bay could have a super situation on their hands if the 3-4 defense works as well as it did against Cleveland (I know it's Cleveland, but still). The problem last year was the D, and if they can stop giving games away, I have them as the favorite to win their division with the Vikings getting a wildcard berth. Sorry Saints. Rodgers is the real deal. There's no doubt about that. I am kicking myself for trading Rodgers to Taylor, even if it was for Megatron. I think he may even have a few less points this year if the D has improved and Grant can get on track, but he will be a consistent 20+ point-per-game producer.

Brady's back, there's no doubt about that. I expect good things, but not 2007 things...not anywhere close. In fact, I think Brees and Rodgers are both better options this year. No knock against Tom, but his team's getting old, and his O-line is not as dominant as they once were. We know from the Giants/Pats superbowl that getting pressure on Tom will cause some problems, and is about the only thing that can stifle this offense. Unfortunately for him, the pressure will be a little easier to come by this year.

An interesting situation is brewing in Houston at the RB position. Assuming Brown stays healthy, could we be in for a RBBC with Slaton and Brown and a 60/40 or 70/30 split with Brown handling short-yardage and goal-line work? It might just happen. Or Brown might go down in the preseason again.

How about Chris Wells? What is up with this guy? Two months ago, I felt like he was a steal in the 5th round. Today, I wouldn't touch him for fear of hurting the guy some more.

And then there's Knowshon who comes out and performs well and then sprains his MCL.

Finally, there's the situation in Buffalo. The only thing I know for sure about that situation is that I am liking the no-huddle. On a team with a more solid QB situation, I would steer clear, but it seems to be working for these guys. Cleveland is supposedly toying with the idea, and it wouldn't be a bad one for them either (although almost anything couldn't be that much worse than what they have going now). Some other teams I would like to see use this approach are Miami and Chicago, both because of their speedsters in Ginn and Hester.